What is the Cost of Packaging?

​Content Area Standards

ELA-Literacy:
L.4.3.a:   Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely

Science
4.L.1.3: Students know that humans can adapt their behavior in order to conserve the materials and preserve the ecological systems that they depend on for survival.

​Social Studies
4.G.1.2: Explain the impact that human activity has on the availability of natural resources in North Carolina.

Objectives

Students will be able to :
Analyze the types of  non-consumable waste and develop a deep understanding of cost of non-consumable waste in relationship to natural resources, environment (human and animal health), and finances resulting in students educated assessment of the true cost of packaging.

Concepts

Manufacturing, Natural Resources, Recycling, Waste Management, Environmental impact, cause and effect

Prior Preperation

Powerpoint presentation, Rehearsals

Prerequsite Knowledge

Earth Cycles (seasons, precipitation), Development of factual ideas based on research

Assessment

Utilize formative assessment by asking guiding questions and moving around the classroom observing students as they conduct group or individual tasks to determine students understanding of the lesson objective.  ​

Accommodations

​Students that are unfamiliar with recycling and environmental awareness will be grouped with students that recycle their waste and have a home that fosters environmental stewardship.

Materials and Resources

​
what_is_the_cost_of_packaging.pptx
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Instructional Procedure

10 min: Start lesson by greeting all the students and the Ask the students to open their minds and put on their thinking caps: “what is the cost of packaging”
  • Each student will receive a paper bag; inside the bag will be a plastic bag with a hershey's kiss inside
  • Teacher will ask students to disassemble the package and ask what type of packaging was the kiss in (paper, plastic, tin/metal)
  • Teacher will ask students to arrange packaging in order of what they think is the cheapest in cost to produce; students arrange packaging with cheapest to the left
  • Teacher asks “why is it important to know cost of packaging?” and students give their best guesses and write them on the board.
  • Teacher then asks students to arrange package in order of cost to the environment; students arrange packaging with cheapest to the left
  • Teacher asks “why is it important to know cost to the environment, animals, and people?” and students give their best guesses and write them on the board. What Teacher will end the hook by asking students to consider the cost of packaging to consumers and  telling the students we will get back to this at the end of class.

20 min: Natural resources: With each step of production there is an associated cost in money and environment.
  • Video:  Renewable Energy Explained in 2 1/2 Minutes
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEeH4EniM3E&t=4s
  • Natural resources: With each step of production there is an associated cost in finance, environment, and human and animal health.
  • Plastic
    • Show video:  How is plastic made?
    • Guided discussion points
      • non-renewable natural resources (oil)
      • costly to drill
      • Plastic waste ends up in rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.  
        • Sea life and birds eat the plastic or get trapped in plastic causing death and species endangerment.
        • Affects humans by fish eating plastic microbeads we eat the fish, poisoning our bodies.
      • Can create sink holes when oil is gone from ground
      • Uses moderate energy to recycle (most important to recycle due to inability to biodegrade)
  • Paper/cardboard:
    • Show video:  How is paper made?
    • Guided discussion points
      • comes from renewable natural resources (trees)  
      • not as costly as oil to harvest but leaves the environment desolate
        • Takes away local animal habitat by deforestation.
        • Causes species endangerment due to disruption of delicate ecosystems
        • Can lead to mass wasting (land/mudslides)
        • Affects climate change by disrupting the oxygen and
        • Uses most energy to recycle
          • Deinking of paper
          • Separation of glue from cardboard
  • Aluminum
    • Show video:  How is Aluminum is made?
    • Guided discussion points
      • non-renewable natural resources (metal)
      • most cost to harvest as it is mined (into the ground, strip mined, natural caves, explosives)  
        • Mining destroys the environment around it especially strip mining
        • When minerals are exposed to the elements and increase metal content or toxic chemicals that are washed into the water supply by rain.
      • leave environment desolate
      • Uses least amount of energy to recycle

10min:  Cost to clean up
  • Students explain what they see in the picture (Brewster Campground trash) in groups.
    • Teacher explains that this trash was picked up as part of a job, cost $30 for someone to pick up the trash.
    • Teacher explains that each year, North Carolinians throws away enough trash to circle the earth twice.
    • Teacher explains in 2014, the State of North Carolina spent more than $15.6 million cleaning up more than seven million pounds of roadside trash.
      • Guiding Questions:  
        • How do you think the packaging ended up on the side of the road?
        • What can people do to ensure packaging does not end up on the side of the roads?
          • Talk about the North Carolina Tarp program when taking trash to the landfill.
        • Landfills
          • Show pie chart with total of solid waste by type (powerpoint)
          • 245.7 million tons of solid waste was generated in 2015
          • 133.3 million tons went into the landfill after recycling, incineration, and composting (54.3%)
            • Guiding discussion points
              • Explain combustion (incinerators)
              • Discuss that 54.3% solid waste we throw away ends up in landfills, United States only recycle, incinerate, or compost 46%...US can do better.
              • How much of this waste do you think is packaging?  (33% as of 2015)
          • Ninety-five percent of our solid waste is disposed of in almost-filled landfills - and one out of every two of those landfills desperately needs repair so it won't leak. (National Urban League)

15 min: Closure/Transition
  • Teacher will ask students “What is the cost of packaging?” again and have the students answer their question in their groups.
    • Guiding activity
      • Class will be placed into 3 groups.
      • Each group will develop pros and cons for their assigned material (plastic, Paper/cardboard, or Metal/aluminum)

      • Class will consolidate and determine which type of material is best for packaging based on pros and cons and explain why?
      • Show picture of School Lunch
        • Guiding questions
          • Based on the types of packing we researched, what would the best type of packaging for your school lunch and why?
            • Pack a waste free lunch
            • Foster recycling